Again
by lickymee
Summary: What if... we could prevent tragedies? What if... we could mend our mistakes? What if... we could go back in time? Inspired by Mushoku Tensei and Higurashi When They Cry
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys, Lickymee here. Here's a new fanfic! "The Key to My Heart" is currently on hiatus (READ MY PROFILE). So in the mean time, here's this! I noticed there isn't any time slip/loop (at least none that I've noticed) fanfic stories in Nisekoi, so this is what I came up with! Finally got a proofreader, soooooo my work should be better? Inspired by Mushoku Tensei and Higurashi When They Cry**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Nisekoi or any part of it.**

The sun shines bright, grilling the surroundings in its heat. Ichijou Raku treads slowly on the rocky pathway that is carved into the mountainside. Panting, he stops to adjust his cap.

"Wait up, Dad!" a child voices out from behind. Turning his head, Raku sees a 7 year-old girl running towards him. However, she immediately trips over a random rock, falling face-first onto the rocky soil near him. Gladly, the little girl hadn't fallen on any rocks that would bruise or injure her.

"Be careful now. It's dangerous to run on a rock hillside like this." Raku calls out with a caring voice while helping the girl up. Ichijou Shizuko (1), a girl who behaves the complete opposite of what her name implies. A bright and loud child that moves like a bullet and speaks as loud as a rocket blast. She also has the same blond hair and a red ribbon of a certain blonde. Shizuko stands up on her own, grinning cheekily as she dusts off her own clothes. "Okay!" Shizuko, in other words "his daughter", replies to him in a blaring tone. Raku sighs and pats his daughter's head.

'"Seriously, at least check her body for any injuries _._ " a voice rings out from where Shizuko had ran from. A female blonde enters Raku's vision while he's already checking for any injuries around Shizuko's body. The said blonde is Chitoge Kirisaki, who is Shizuko's mother and Raku's ex-wife. She walks quickly towards her daughter to check on her own that her daughter is alright. As she walks, Chitoge's long blond hair, that is tied in a ponytail by , swishes around gracefully in the wind, sparkling like the sun that is above the three. The red ribbon she had worn ages ago had been given to Shizuko when Shizuko's hair had grown long enough.

"Mom, I am fine. Look!" Shizuko grins while embracing her mother. Raku, seeing this, stops in his tracks to take in the sight. Chitoge had already taken out a wet tissue from her pack to clean Shizuko's dirtied face. The little girl closes her eyes as she giggles.

After the cleaning, both of the girls laugh a little. Thereafter, the two sit down on a nearby big rock, only begin chatting away as mother and daughter. Raku too had taken a seat on another rock away from them, taking this chance to look around. The mountain they are climbing, Kota Kinabalu, is truly a beautiful mountain.

Ever since she climbed Mount Fuji when she was 5, Shizuko had taken a liking to mountain climbing. Therefore, with Shizuko's boarding school going on a week-long holiday, Raku took the chance to bring her and her mother on this hiking trip.

Originally, Raku didn't intend on inviting Chitoge he told Shizuko about the hiking trip in Malaysia, for just the two of them, Shizuko had become really excited. But, because Shizuko didn't know about her parent's divorce, she was confused why Chitoge, her mother, was not invited.

" _I thought Mommy said Daddy moved out because he had work, right? Why can't Mommy come along too if Daddy is having time off?"_ Having difficulties replying to her question, Raku had asked Chitoge to come along on the trip under a favour. Chitoge unwillingly gave in and joined on this tropical trip.

Once the plane touched down in the airport, Shizuko was ranting about how excited she was as she looked forward to climbing the mountains. Jumping up and down, she was unable to sleep that night. Even then, in the morning, she was still full of energy, pestering her parents to prepare the climbing equipments as soon as possible.

Thus, Raku is on this mountainside with his daughter and ex-wife. Sighing in fatigue, he takes a bottle out of his bag and drinks the contents. Wiping his mouth, he keeps the bottle and stands up. The time is still 8:00 a.m and the sun is already beaming hot. "Well then, should we proceed?" he inquires the chatting duo. They both look up to him and nod in agreement. "Sure," Chitoge replies. "Of course, Daddy!" Shizuko says enthusiastically.

Suddenly, the ground shakes beneath the three, causing them to lose balance, especially Raku who falls onto the floor. A phenomenon too familiar, as it happens often in Japan. "Earthquake!" Raku shouts instinctively while trying to stand up. Rocks start to fall down the mountainside at such a high velocity that even a fist-sized rock would gravely injure a normal person. Raku looks over to where his ex-wife and daughter are, seeing how Chitoge has ordered Shizuko to crouch on the floor and protect herself by putting her backpack over her head.

Raku tries to do the same, searching for where his own backpack is. Although it was right next to him moments ago, it is now rolling away from him down the mountain. The rocky surface of the mountain makes it impossible for him to stand properly during the quake. Before he could run after his pack, rocks of all sizes start to tumble towards him as if he is being pelted by a mob for being a criminal. With no time to even react, one of the rocks hit him in the forehead.

The impact causes Raku to immediately feel blinding pain and dizziness as his body is thrown back. The world around him starts to slow down, as if he is in the Matrix. He could feel his body tumbling down the mountain slope, getting cuts and bruises all over his body. After seeing the world circle round and round for an eternity, which was actually only for a minute or two, his body finally flops onto flat ground as the earthquake also subsides.

Raku finally becomes conscious enough to notice the situation. He tries to open his eyes, only to find his right eye is unable to open. His left eyes barely opens into a squint, only allowing Raku to see a slit of blurred light. "Did a rock hit my right…?" Raku thinks to himself as he now tries to move the rest of his body. Just as he realizes how he feels no pain at all, none of his limbs give any response to his brain's impulses.

Blood flows freely down his face from his forehead as he tries to move again. Unfortunately, nothing happens again as nothing else than his left eye responds to his brain's commands. Successful in opening his left eyelid completely, Raku sees before him a blurred scenery. But he can tell at the least that he is under a blue cloudless sky, with the sun shining harshly upon him.

"Am I…going to...die…?" Raku questions the situation feebly as he starts to lose consciousness in this hopeless event.

Flashbacks start emerge before Raku, like flipping through an album full of precious memories. How he grew up in the yakuza home. How he met Chitoge and the others when he was young. How he grew up without friends due to his family background. How he met Shuu. How they enrolled together to Bonyari high school. How he reunited with Chitoge. How she became his fake girlfriend for the sake of their families. How he then reunited with everyone. How they spent the three years of high school together, whether for better or worse.

How he graduated from high school with excellent results. How he enjoyed the graduation party. How he had mustered up the courage to try and confess to Kosaki. How Chitoge had dragged him out of the party before he could find Kosaki. How he was confused about the situation when Chitoge confessed her love to him, only to proceed to kissing him. How dumbfounded he was about the whole situation. How regretful he was when Chitoge took his silence as a "yes" and kissed him again. How she was talking about graduating from a fake to a real couple with him. How scared and confused he was of the very thought, running away from the issue, leaving Chitoge hanging.

How he enrolled in one of the top universities of Japan, hoping that Chitoge's confession was all just a dream. How he cut off all of his ties to everyone so that he could focus on his studies. How he graduated as the top-one student. How he found out that his father had already prepared to leave the seat as the head of the Shuei group to him when he finally returned home. How he resisted at first but finally gave in to his father's, and also the Shuei's, pleas. How he managed the Shuei group to be one of the most influential gang in the area.

How he once again mustered up all of his courage to look for Kosaki and confess to her. How he finally found out about Kosaki's death in a traffic accident that happened 2 years prior. How he found out that he had completely missed out on this crucial information because of his ignorance while studying. How agonized he was over the news. How Chitoge found him in a bar drinking down his sadness away for the past few weeks after hearing the "news" about Kosaki. How Chitoge brought him back to her home after the bar had closed for the night. How he, in his drunken state, had made love with Chitoge during that night. How he woke up in the morning, learning what he had done to her. How he intended to take responsibility for his actions.

How he reluctantly married Chitoge. How happy both their fathers were in this joint marriage. How combining the Beehive and Shuei group into one brought upon great peace with the successful merge. How Chitoge had become pregnant. How happy everybody was with the coming baby. How the baby was full of health when born. How happy the entire family was for the new member to the great family.

How the family began to break down as both of Chitoge and Raku found themselves too busy to stay at home much. How they quarreled behind their daughters back. How their marriage finally fell apart when Shizuko was 5 years old. How he moved out, using the excuse of "work-out-of-home" in front of his daughter. How he and Chitoge met up to discuss about sending Shizuka to a boarding school to prevent their daughter from facing similar troubles both of them had faced when they were young. How Shizuko grew up to be a lovely girl during her time at the boarding school. How he finally found time to take off of his work for this trip. How happy Shizuka was to be able to go on a trip with her parents again.

The flashbacks end at that point as he feels water drip on his face. The sky has turned black with rain clouds, pouring heavy rain to make the circumstances even more depressing for him. "I hope...at least…that Shizuko…is safe…...with…...Chitoge…," is Raku's last thoughts before darkness, like the clouds in the sky, gradually overtook his sight.

"If...only…"

 **A/N: Derpity derp. Felt this was rushed. Relax, the time slipping starts next chapter. But please leave reviews so I can get more ideas fleshed out.**

 **Notes: (1) Shizuko is read as 静子, which means "quiet child."**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yeah! Woo! Chapter 2! Alright! ….. I need some sleep…..**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Nisekoi or any part of it**

"….nnnghnnn…," Raku groans as he turns his body to one side.

"Ahhhh…," he then murmurs comfortably as he lies softly among the soft grass that is as soft as a pile of feather pillows. Soft like swan feathers, yet firm like wool.

The warm yet dry soil below him accompanies the grass, creating below him what feels like a high-class mattress of natural materials. The soil is like silk thread, smooth with a satisfying touch to it. Not too cold but not too hot either, the temperature of the soil is just right. It feels like he could just sleep in this blissful bed for an eternity...

"Wait…grass? Soil? Huh?" Raku thinks alarmingly. Opening his eyes, he quickly gets up from where he lies. Looking around, he finds himself on a small hill overlooking a vast area of grassland. Grazing in the grassland are several...weird-looking…sheep? Cows? Goats? He can't decide on what the weird horned beasts are, especially due to their small stature.

The sky above is light blue with countless clouds floating. Some are small puffballs, other are stretched out and large. Even so, the sun shines brightly, illuminating the land with a warm light. A gentle breeze blows, flowing in his hair and making the grass around whistle.

In such a comfortable scene, one would be tempted to lie onto the soft grass again and just slowly drift off into a quiet slumber.

But Ichijou Raku does have the time to do that, nor does he plan on doing that. It is not because he had just woken up from his peaceful slumber, but because something, or even someone, taps his shoulder before he can nod off back to sleep.

With his attention taken by his surroundings, Raku hadn't paid heed to the presence that was behind him. Upon feeling the tap on his shoulder from behind, he turns around and is shocked to see a girl standing there.

A young girl that wears a white one-piece dress that is sleeveless and reaches past her knees. Her short and slender body figure hints that she can't be any more than 10 years old. The breeze blows against her hair, letting it flutter lazily in the wind. The breeze also blows gently against her dress, giving her a presence that she is larger than life. This scene somehow reminds him of some girl in his childhood memories. But for some reason, Raku cannot recall anything else about himself.

The girl studies Raku's face for a moment, before exclaiming quietly in wonder, "You are not Father…!" Raku is rooted in place by the girl's face. She possesses a pair of mesmerizing eyes that reminds him of what he depicts as the beauty of nature. Her small pink lips and nose are just as mesmerizing, while also looking cute. Such are obvious hints that she would be a beauty when she grows up. Suddenly aware of his staring, she embarrassedly averts her gaze and turns her head to the side.

"Ah crap. She must think that I'm a lolicon now…," Raku, finally aware of his actions, stops staring and regains his composure. He feels depressed that this is the first impression he is making on this girl.

Raku stands up, dusting his clothes away to clean up his looks. Standing in a more formal manner, he introduces himself, "Hello, little miss. My name is Ichijou Raku. A pleasure to meet you." Leaning over, he bows a little, showing to her a genuine smile, one that would warm anyone's heart just by seeing it.

"Umm...uuh…m-my name…is…," the child stutters bashfully as she attempts to introduce herself. But, as if reminded of something, she stands upright and faces him. "Ah! More importantly, why and how are you here?" the girl asks now with a mature voice.

Taken aback, Raku clears his throat to give a proper reply. "If you ask me why am I here…I am here...now that you ask, I am…."

" _Wait,"_ Raku thinks to himself. " _Why am I here? Where is this place? Who am I? Why is this girl here? Why can't I remember anything…!?"_

"Umm…..Where am I?" Raku asks timidly. He is literally intimidated by the face the girl is now making. Compared to her gentle, shy expression from before, she now looks at him with a dead stare. Like a predator, she looks like she is ready to strike him down.

"You don't even know where you are…?" The girl simply stares at him. "Could it be…" The child thinks out loud. She then snaps her finger, aimed towards the ground.

As if on cue, hundreds of thousands of white orbs begin to emerge from the grassland. And like fireflies, they flutter around, some even floating towards the sky.

The girl then reaches her hand out to one of the orbs nearby and grabs it. And as she brings it right in front of her face, she whispers Raku's name. "Ichijou Raku." The orb in her hand glow a bit more vividly and she takes her time, staring into the orb.

Unsure how to react to the glowing orbs and the girl's actions, Raku stands frozen in place. Surrounding him, the other orbs continue to float upwards, or even float around aimlessly. The weird animals around him don't seem at all surprised by the orbs. Heck, they just continue grazing as if nothing has happened.

"Hmm…I see…," the girl mumbles. As Raku listens closely to her voice, he questions if the mature voice she is taking up currently even belongs to her. _"Where did her more childish voice go off to? Or is this her actual voice?"_ Raku can't comprehend what is happening, as much he is confused about his current situation.

The girl finally looks at him with a face that shows signs of understanding, compared to how she was a bit perplexed before.

"Ichijou Raku. What do you desire from me?" The girl asks with a serious expression.

Having mistaken her expression as one of anger, he sheepishly replies, "Umm…Can you at least tell me where am I?" Although not an unexpected question, the girl hesitates for a moment before replying. "You are…No, your soul...is now in this world. The Illusionary World."

Confused, Raku replies, "Huh? Soul? 'Illusionary World'...This place? And by soul...does that mean I am dead in some way? Is this 'Illusionary World'… is it heaven?" Raku takes a look around at the grassland and the sky above. "Hmm…is it?" Raku continues to look around, now feeling disbelief that this world is "heaven".

The girl merely stares at Raku for a little while more before giving out a sigh. She then replies. "I see… It seems like you don't remember your past…about yourself...anything."

Raku finds her comment confusing. Now that he thinks about his circumstances though, other than his name and that weird moment of what seems to be his childhood memory, he is unable to recall anything else. His parents. Who he is as a person. Above all, how he even got here, or what had happened before being in this "Illusionary World."

The girl sighs in displeasure as she opens the tiny palms of her hands. After a few moments of internal meditation, an orb of light appears above her palms, one that is a little larger than the orbs that float around. As she closes her eyes now, she begins to recite a magical chant quietly yet with meaning. "Oh, orb of light...the mighty power that performs miracles for this forsaken world. Heal those who have been injured on memory lane...and mend the broken strings of lost thoughts…" As the girl continues her chant in a stoic manner, the orb in her palm glows brighter, bit by bit. "...Let them find their way back again for the reason of what may be important or not. For the sake of recalling happiness, sadness...truth and lies... love and hate…" As the orb starts to hum as it churns, the girl opens her eyes wide for the last piece of this chant.

"[REMEMBRANCE]!"

The orb immediately shatters into fragments, which surprises Raku very much. He had just heard the girl say a fanatic chant, and now the orb in her hands breaks into millions of pieces. But the fragments all trickle into the air, disappear in an instant.

Suddenly, Raku feels a sharp pain throughout his body, but most of all in his mind. A pain as if he's been struck by lightning. At first there is only the pain, but then flashbacks emerge in his mind at lightning speed. Names, dates, important reminders. Happy events and sad incidents. Old memories and new recollections. With all of these pieces of memory flooding his head all at once, his brain feels hot like molten lava as his body jerks uncontrollably from the incredible pain. The girl remains unresponsive as she looks at Raku writhing on the ground.

Finally, the pain stops a minute later, allowing Raku to stop his suffering. Raku remains on his back to rest for a while. But as he tries to do just that, a sudden urge hits his stomach. In response, he quickly crawls up to his knees and vomits. What he vomits though is a blue goo that only makes him feel more sick. For the next minute, he continues to eject this blue goo from his system.

The girl simply stands beside him, waiting for him to recover. After a while, Raku finally stops barfing, wiping his mouth as he still struggles to regulate his breathing. He simply sits cross-legged while massaging his temple in order forget the horrid pain he had just experienced.

"Done?" the girl simply asks, although she already knows the answer.

"...Yeah…," Raku replies as he grimaces at the ground. His memories have returned, making him feel a little better now that he knows who he is. On the other hand, his question of the world he is in currently remains unanswered.

"So…what is this Illusionary World…?" Raku brings up his unanswered question after feeling like he has rested enough. Upon hearing his words, the girl smiles bitterly and answers, "A world that exists for those whose soul has too much suffering. Too many unfulfilled wishes. And most of all...one too many regrets left behind." The girl says all of this while looking at the animals that calmly chew away at the grass.

"Soul…suffering…wishes…regrets…," Raku repeats some of the key-words the girl had said, all with an expression of sadness. Suffering created by wronged choices. Unfulfilled wishes caused by his actions. Regrets of his childhood which he could have done something about.

He sighs, thereafter asking with a deadpan face, "So…by 'soul'… are you saying that I'm dead?" Surely, with whatever magic or something the girl just used, she must have seen his life story through that orb. After a while, the girl replies monotonously, "Yes. You died during the earthquake on the mountain."

With a gulp, he asks with a hopeful tone, "Is…Is Shizuko safe...?" Especially with Chitoge at her side, Shizuko should have been able to make it out safely.

The girl becomes quiet upon hearing this hope-seeking question, which only instills fear into Raku's heart. In the end though, she replies reluctantly, "…No…From what I saw….the little girl fell into a deep crevice in the mountain, along with her mother." As she raises her gaze to meet Raku's, she can see that Raku already knows the results. Even then, she finishes her observation. "She's dead."

The words hit Raku like a bullet train. As if a hole had been punched into the core of his body by its impact. His legs give way, leading him to sit depressingly on the floor. At first, he only sniffled, but it soon progressed into a whine, and finally a loud cry of pain and suffering as tears gushed from his eyes that looked up at the blue sky. The girl simply stands by him, watching him with an unreadable expression. After for what seemed like an hour, Raku finally stops bawling, holding his knees quietly and digging his head into those knees to isolate himself from everything as much as possible.

Time passes slowly as Raku simply stares at the grazing beasts. He takes a deep breath and exhales, seemingly alleviating a bit of the headache he is feeling. The girl just stands there silently, staring at Raku. And then, Raku stops his grovelling and speaks up.

"….If…those…who died with regrets...come here…does that mean….Shizuko died without...any regrets…?" These honest words escape Raku's mouth.

"...I do not know, Ichijou Raku," the girl answers truthfully. As much as she can look into his memories, she has no direct access to Shizuko's mind.

Hearing this answer, Raku merely sighs in depression. "So…why are you here...with me?"

The girl's body stiffens at the question. Noticing the girl's course of action, Raku immediately takes back his previous statement. "Uhh…No…There's no need to answer that. Just forgot I even asked...Sorry." But the girl still answers the question, knowing that there is no harm in answering.

"…I…am waiting for someone…," the girl mumbles while averting her own gaze towards the beasts.

"Huh? What did you say?" asks Raku. Seeing that he had not listened, the girl diverts their attention to a different matter. She immediately opens up her palms again, letting a new white orb take form. Upon doing so, Raku flinches both to the blinding light created by the orb's summoning along with the small gust of wind it had made.

"ICHIJOU RAKU!" The girl announces in the mature voice she had used before. "THERE IS A PURPOSE FOR YOU BEING HERE. ALTHOUGH WE LIVE IN DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS, YOU SHARE A SIMILAR FATE TO SOMEONE! YOUR FATE IS STRONG!" As the girls continues to talk and Raku stands frozen still, unable to take any action to what is happening before him, the orb in the girl's hand starts to glow brighter and brighter every second. "BUT! BECAUSE YOU WERE UNABLE TO REALIZE HOW TO CHANGE THE FATE OF OTHERS, YOU BROUGHT THIS CURRENT STATE UPON YOURSELF!"

The orb, that is now just as bright as the sun, blinds Raku as he shades his eyes with his arms. "Huh? Different dimensions? What?" Raku meekly inquires.

"GO, ICHIJOU RAKU! CHANGE THE FATE OF THOSE AROUND YOU! CHANGE! THEIR! DESTINY!" The orb is now literally brighter than a thousand suns. Unable to ward away the searing light, even though his eyes are closed shut along with his hands, Raku turns his head to look away.

But as he does, Raku feels a sharp pain shudder through his entire body. Just like earlier, his body feels like it is hot with magma, but this time, it also feels like his body is be bloated and overflown by pure plasma. He convulses painfully on the floor before his mind and soul gives in. He finally blacks out.

 **A/N: Heyaaaaaaa. Finished this in 5 hours (Record-breaking speed for me!) Its 5 a.m. into the night and I realllyyy need sleep. See you. Updates is planned to be weekly(or biweekly)? If hiatus happens I am terribly sorry! .**

 **Credits to Green Moriyama and 2fast2u for helping me proofread!**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Heyaaaaa. Finally found some time to write this. Not really sure how long I could keep this up for weekly releases due to exams and stuff, but will try my best! OC coming soon? I don't know lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nisekoi nor any part of it.

"Riiiiiiiiiingggggggggggggggggggggg!"

A sharp ringing sound breaks the calm silence in the morning atmosphere. The sunlight peeks through the window, shining near Raku rests.

"…...nnnnghhhhhhh…," Raku groans as he feels around for the alarm that pierces his ears. After some blind searching, he finally feels the plastic exterior of the alarm clock that is placed on the left side of his futon. After this finding, he proceeds to press the snooze button.

Sighing tiredly, Raku turns over in his bed, placing the cover over his head to get back to sleep. But, just when he is about to continue his slumber…

"BOCCHAN! WAKE UP! YER GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!" A deafening voice roars as the door into the room slams open.

"…f...five more…minutes…mghng...," Raku grumbles as he turns his body over once again, this time away from where the voice comes from. He wishes that he could just sleep the whole day away…

"...WAIT! WHAT!?" Raku thinks alarmingly as he snaps open his eyes. As he sits up in haste, he observes his surroundings.

Before his eyes, Raku sees a large room, too large to think it's a room for one person's use. However, there isn't much in it. The floor is laden with tatami mats, giving off a feeling of a traditional Japanese room. On the far left side of the room is a desk beside a window with a few open books and stationaries. On the right end of the room are bookshelves that face the desk. Filled with books of genres from scientific to politics, one could imagine that the owner of this room is an avid reader due to the worn-out status of the books. All the other walls are barren, aside from one or two wall-mounted scrolls that are rolled out to reveal either a brush art or a painting.

And finally, as Raku lays his eyes on the owner of the big voice, Raku jumps in surprise when he notices this man is standing right in front of him.

His face is scarred from his eyebrow down to his cheek. He wears a serious and stiff expression that would make any happy kid cry on the instant if he made eye contact with them. Topless except for a half-worn kimono that he wears in a half-shirtless manner, the tattoos on his chest only makes him seem more intimidating. As if to add to the scary atmosphere, he has a creepy mustache along with a katana fastened to his belt to boot.

In short, he looks like a demon-samurai, or whatever is a monster in this world.

"Bocchan, it's already 7 am! Ya better get ready or you'll be late for school!" The man with the intimidating atmosphere says with a gentle expression as he suddenly smiles to Raku.

As if his brain is being tickled, Raku feels something familiar with the surroundings and the man who stands before him. Unsure what is happening, Raku staggers as he attempts to stand up from his futon meanwhile scratching his head in confusion.

"Well then, Bocchan. I'm gonna go get everyone assembled for your breakfast. Best wash up quickly and get cooking! We are waiting for your dried horse mackerel with miso soup today!" happily says the man as he leaves the room through the door. The hint of hunger for the food was heard in his voice, showing how much he is looking forward to eating Raku's meal.

"Hmmmm…" This scene is somewhat familiar. The smell of sweat…the presence of gangster-ish men walking around with scars or tattoos…the loud and rough words of those men that floods the ears of anyone nearby…

" _Wait...a minute….ISN'T THIS PLACE MY OLD HOME!?"_ Raku thinks alarmingly as his memories finally pieces things together. " _AND…WASN'T THAT…RYU? ISN'T HE DEAD?!"_

"WAITTTTTT! COME BACK, RYUUU!' Raku shouts as he stumbles out of his room while trying to call back the man.

"Hmm? Bocchan? Need something?" Ryu says as he turns around with a casual grin .

Leaping into Ryu's arms and embracing him, Raku bawls in his huge, muscled chest.

When Raku was still in college in Tokyo, after having cut off all contact back home, the Shuei group found itself under attack by some gang from a nearby city. Although the attackers weren't strong at all, they had made some pinning moves. While the invading gang was defeated, Ryu, and some other veteran members, had protected some of the weaker members, which lead to his evident death.

One of Raku's deepest regret is that he didn't even attend Ryu's funeral while he was studying in Tokyo. Even today, this has been one of Raku's greater regrets.

"Errr…Bocchan?" Ryu simply stands with a perplexed expression due to Raku's sudden embrace. Raku rarely was emotional in this way in front of any of the members.

Realizing the weirdness of his actions, Raku stops crying and retreats a bit back. Staring at Ryu's tattooed chest, Raku feels that this is all a dream.

Only one way to find out if it's a dream or not...

"Punch me," Raku requests.

"Huh? What d'you say, Bocchan?" Ryu staggers in confusion at Raku's request. " _Bocchan is really acting weird today. First, he wakes later than he ever would. Thereafter, the crying. Now this. Is Bocchan having a fever or something?"_

"Are you okay, Bocchan? Do you have a fever? Do you want to take the day off from school?" The leader of the Shuei goons asks in a caring tone as he approaches Raku. " _The stress from dealing with_ _school and his mistresses must be taking a toll on him."_

" _Shit. Shit shit…!"_ Raku curses to himself in his mind as he stands, not knowing what to do. He had mispronounced the word "Pinch" for "Punch" due to being in an emotional state. Now Ryu seems suspicious of Raku's behavior and believes he is sick or something.

"Ahhh….I mean…," Raku gives up trying to take back his words, deciding to play along with what he has brought upon himself. "Errrr...I've been doing some...self-defence training recently, you know? I want to see if I can deflect...your punches...? So….Umm…don't hold back, 'kay?" Raku says this as he raises his arms in front of him in an attempted fighting stance as he stutters over his words. But anybody could see that he is saying a obvious lie. Raku curses to himself silently for saying such a pathetic fib.

But it seems this "pathetic fib" works on Ryu. Due to his unwavering loyalty and belief that the boss and his son's words are true and absolute, Ryu rarely questions their orders and actions. This is especially the case with the young boss's instructions. The young master rarely plays his part as the heir who'll take over the seat of the Shuei group, all because he is actually not interested in taking that position. Ichijo Raku had planned on being a civil servant, which meant abandoning the seat, but Ryu and the others are still clueless that he really means it.

However, the men believe that there is no way that the great Young Master would throw away the seat of a large-scale Yakuza group for some nine-to-five job in an office. All of the members of the Shuei group that believe Raku will take for himself the head seat. Since the creation of the Shuei group back before the First World War, the seat has always been passed down, father to son, by the traditional hereditary style. And there is no reason to break tradition now, or so the Shuei goons conclude. Especially to Ryu, the only one suitable for the head seat is none other than the great Young Master, Ichijou Raku.

Therefore, Ryu is filled with honored and delighted when he hear's Raku's command, although a bit confused since Raku has never asked of Ryu this kind of request. Even then, since the Young Master seems to be taking it seriously for what seems to be the sake of the head seat, Ryu can only give his best support for Raku's grand request.

"B-Bocchan! You're so manly! Training so early in the morning! If that's the case, let the shameful me show my pathetic skills!" Ryu says this humbly along with a touched expression. With a gleaming glare, he gets into an open fighting stance, much more rigid than Raku's pale imitation of a stance.

"Umm….yeah...?" Confused, Raku can't believe Ryu believes in his lie. Maybe he should even consider becoming a politician…

"Well then, here I come, Bocchan!" Ryu mutters this with a hint of shame in his voice. As Ryu charges towards Raku, Raku hesitates before tightening his fighting stance into a more defensive nature. He had attempted to learn karate to some extent back when he was still young. Although he failed overall, he should be able to do one or two things to reflect a punch...

Or not. The punch Ryu delivers with his right hand flies forth at what seems to be the speed of light. A powerful jab that is beyond the power of a boxer's straight. Unable to even see the punch, Raku is unable to react as the punch connects with his abdomen. The only thing he can do is let his face contort from the impact. And like a cannonball, the force infused within Ryu's fist transfers into Raku's body like a ballistic missile, sending Raku's body flying across the room, into the bookshelves behind him. The collision with the bookshelf is not kind either as his back crashes in the shelves, breaking some of them in the process. The shelf itself slams against the wall with a large "BAM" sound as books fall from it due to the recoil. Raku's body finally slides down to the floor, letting his upper body rest against the now broken bookshelf. And as the books continue to tumble down, hitting or missing Raku one by one, Raku gives out a groan as he flops onto the ground, flipping over so that he is face-up, looking at the ceiling. His body is unable to move from both the pain of the blow he had just taken.

Seeing this ceiling though gives Raku a feeling of deja vu. Why is he having a sense of deja vu? The pain. His eyes filled with tears. The ceiling with a single japanese style light fixture. It's all so familiar…

" _Ahh,"_ Raku now remembers. Shortly after hearing of Onodera's death years ago, he had locked himself in his room. Crying on the floor, he believed that there was no reason to keep living on. With the lights turned off, Raku had slit his wrist, letting him bleed to death. To Raku, having his first love die before he even had the chance for a confession was good enough of a reason to end his life. As his sobbing slowly grew weaker and his heartbeat slowed down bit by bit, he had stared at the ceiling with that unlit ceiling fixture. As much as he enjoyed parts of his life, his life felt empty now. Happy that he can finally be free from all these sufferings, Raku slowly closed his heavy eyelids with a dead grin stuck on his face...

But this attempt at suicide had failed. As his consciousness faded away, the sound of glass breaking and ground thumping could be heard. Someone picked his body up, taking him to the hospital. For three days, he was unconscious before waking up to his father and members of Shuei group who were crying in joy upon seeing Raku regain consciousness.

Apparently, Raku's dad had been worried about his son who was now the new head of the Shuei group. And upon hearing the sound of crying from his room, Raku's dad had peeked through a window from the outside. What he saw was not what he expected. On the floor was his sobbing son, lying in a pool of blood. And in a panic, he broke in through the window and with the help of the other Shuei members carried Raku to the hospital immediately.

Of course, now that he thought about it after in the hospital, it was a very stupid reason to commit suicide for. The scar left from slitting his wrist reminded him of his stupid actions every time he looked at it…Even though, Kosaki…

Snapping back to reality and the present, Raku sees a blurry figure squatting over him, trying to say something. And when his vision and the ringing in his ears finally clear up, what he sees is a crying Ryu who starts groveling on the floor, reciting a chant of apology. "OH MY GOD! OH MY GODDESS! BOCCHAN! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO DEFLECT MY PUNCH! I'M SOOOOO SORRY! PLEASE, PUNISH ME FOR MY SINS! I AM WILLING TO DO ANYTHING EVEN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE…!" And the chant goes on and on.

"Nngghh…it's...it's nothing," Raku mumbles with a groan. The pain in his stomach has subsided at an abnormally quick rate and he is able to move around again. This is weird since his body should be prone to pain and let him writhe much, much more. Well, if one doesn't include the time in high school when his body had literally adapted to pain due to the inhumane punches he had taken from Chitoge…

"Ha…," Raku sighs for a moment as he recalls bits of memories. Chitoge. His ex-wife. Dead with their daughter. His beloved daughter, Shizuko.

Tears start forming at the corners Raku's eyes but he quickly blinks them away. He had more pressing matters to take care of now than crying over sentiments. What on earth is happening? How is Ryu alive and well in front of him? Why is he in his old home which he had left years ago?

"We-well then, Bocchan. Umm, you best prepare breakfast soon," Ryu apologies as he reminds Raku of his duties. He leaves the room while giving a deep 90-degree bow.

"Yeah…," Raku answers as his eyes wander around the room. He is pretty sure he was in some grass field with a girl or something…

As he ponders about this, he glances at the desk and notices the calendar on it. Raku then walks towards the desk to take a closer look, until he is able to see the date.

It is the 30th of May, 20XX.

A calendar that depicted the month and day from when he was 17 years old. A calendar from 17 years ago.

Confused by why there is such an outdated calendar there, he picks it up with both hands to flip through it. In it, there are written notes beside some dates such as ''DAD'S BIRTHDAY, BUY PRESENT" and "EXAM DATE, STUDY AND PREPARE"

Way outdated.

"Hmm…," Raku mutters as he flips through it with more keenly. There are some similar notes written but nothing else special.

Sighing, he puts the calendar down and rubs his temple. This is getting weirder and weirder by the second. Leaning against the desk with one arm, he glances around the large room. A small mirror on the desk he hadn't noticed before catches his attention now, causing him to look into it to see his own face.

What he sees stuns him. No longer are his eyes bagged from working overtime every other night. The permanently dark and ragged expression that he had before is now clean and youthful again. His skin is also fair and smooth like whipped cream, with no hints of any facial hair. Most importantly though, the hairclip he had stopped wearing since he had taken the head seat is fixed on his dark hair, giving it a scruffy look.

Blinking in confusion, Raku proceeds to leave the room in a daze, entering the hallway. Memories of the past swarm his brain as he walks through the nostalgic halls of his old home.

"This...must be some dream…," Raku thinks to himself as he slowly paces around the interior of his home based on his memories. If he is right, turning left at the next corner will lead him to his dad's room.

Sighing again at the mention of his dad, Raku thinks about him as he trudges slowly through the wooden halls.

Dying in his early fifties due to a sudden heart attack, Raku's father had passed away in the dead of the night.

Raku despaired and cried like a child at the funeral despite being a 30 year old man with a family. After a period of time, Raku had calmed down with the help of Chitoge and their cute daughter.

Now that he thinks about it, it was also not long after his father's death that Raku started distancing himself from Chitoge. Unable to face reality, he had become one with the booze again.

It was until when he realized his marriage had fallen apart with the group's unity that he sobered up and stopped his sad behavior.

Although the marriage was hopeless beyond repair, he had at least saved the Shuei and Beehive from breaking drown and going to war.

Coming back to reality, Raku sees that he is already in front of the entrance to the master bedroom. Pulling up the long sleeves of his kimono, Raku stretches his hand towards the doorknob to open it.

That's when he sees it.

The mark of despair. The reminder of his foolishness. The sign of his immaturity during his younger days.

The slit mark on both of his wrists is gone.

A/N: Wew that took me so many days. CURSE YOU SCHOOL PROJECTS AND HOMEWORK. And wow 3k words. New record for me lol. Leave a review or something so that I can maybe get motivated to finish my work faster to write more of this? :3

Credits to Green Moriyama for helping me proofread. 3


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N : Yay a new chapter! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee… kill me please. Or Raku. Xp.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Nisekoi or any part of it.(OMG YUI IS GETTING MARRIED IN THE MANGA WATTTT)**

Staring at his arms in disbelief, Raku touches his wrists with trembling hands. The skin feels smooth with the arteries pulsing vividly under the skin.

"Haha…a dream…this must be a dream…," mumbles Raku silently as he leans against the wall in front of his father's room. As if to confirm what he's seeing is true, Raku raises his wrists in front of his eyes weakly again. It is no lie. The scars on his wrists are not there anymore.

Suddenly, the door in front of Raku slides open. A yawning middle-aged man walks out of the room. Spotting Raku, the man stops in his tracks.

"Hmm? Mornin', Raku! Are ye here to see me? How rare to see you here! Worried about me? Well there is none you should place for me, son! I'm living my life healthy and strong as always!"

Laughing, Raku's dad makes a fist in the air to signify that he is still living healthily. He continues to laugh as he trudges slowly past Raku, towards the dining hall. "Well then, we better hurry! It's already 7:15!"

Raku just stands where he is as he stares at the sight in front of him. Sounds of fighting comes from the father's room. Peeking inside, Raku sees a TV playing a famous action movie by Bruise Ley.

Closing the room door, Raku keeps quiet as he walks towards the noisy dining hall. " _First Ryu, and now dad. What a dream I am having, huh?"_ Raku thinks as he smiles bitterly.

As his hands quietly slides open the paper door into the dining hall, a merry sight enters his vision. Numbers of men similarly dressed like Ryu are sitting on the floor, drinking tea from traditional teacups. Some are talking and laughing loudly. One is even scampering around, refilling the teacups of the sweaty men from a large glass teapot.

Ryu with his sharp mustache is at the side of the room, boasting, "This morning, Bocchan ordered me to punch him! He took the punch and recovered so quickly! As expected of Bocchan!" he says this with a proud grin on his face. His listeners, which consists of other demon-samurai-ish men are looking at Ryu with eyes of admiration.

However, there is one exception about these sweaty men in Japanese clothes. At the head of the row of tables, the figure of a beautiful lady enters from the corner of his eyes. The lady, who looks depict that she couldn't be any older than 20, has long twin braids connected to the bundle of hair that is at the back of her head. She has the look of an offspring of part-Chinese and part-Japanese. The girl yawns while rubbing her eyes. And with a drowsy look on her face, she senses Raku and waves her hand.

"Mornin', Raku-chan! Did you sleep well?" says the lady as she offers a good smile to him.

The men cease all their talk and actions when they hear that. As if on cue, they stand up and salute, shouting with spirited voices, "MORNING, BOCCHAN! WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO BREAKFAST AS USUAL!"

Raku just stands in silence. The whole room has familiar faces he feels like he hasn't seen in a long while. Many of them are those who had either died or retired from being a gangster, leaving the group to the young bloods.

However, the main cause of Raku's silence is the lady that he recognizes She is no other than Yui, a lady who is pretty much like an older sister to him. Being a Don of the large-scale Chinese mafia, the Char-Siu group, she had somewhat pushed her duties as Don and came to Japan to visit him. Somehow the visit had become a long stay in Japan, as she even became the homeroom teacher of his class during his final years in school.

Yui had later gone back to China and lost contact with Raku. Of course, he had tried to find her when he was getting married. However, he had received news that Yui-nee was thrust in some arranged marriage during his seclusion in college and moved to her husband's home. The golden rule of the group, that the seat of the Don could only be taken over by the children of the earlier one, was broken as she just passed the seat to some other top brass of the group.

Strangely, Yui had disappeared from the town she was staying in. The Huang family that Yui had married into had suddenly moved to some other place discreetly, leaving no traces behind. Even Raku's contacts in China had no info on her whereabouts.

With the current Don uninterested in the search of the ex-Don Yui, Raku himself had went to China with his own search party to look for her. Giving up after weeks of fruitless searching, he had went back to Japan, only to learn about his father's death a week ago.

Now, Yui is in front of him, nodding off at the table. The other members had settled down and continue their banter and tea-sipping.

Raku walks with light footsteps towards the kitchen. " _Might as well live through this dream…,"_ Raku thinks as he opens the kitchen door.

A sight that would make any chef proud enters Raku's eyes. Filled with the latest cooking utensils and tons of ingredients, the special kitchen of Shuei headquarters would be the perfect place for a chef to show off his skills.

Snapping back to reality from the awe, Raku walks towards the main cooking station. There are a few other apron-clad men there that are already preparing the meals. One is cutting the pickled vegetables, while another is preparing the cooked rice.

The familiar sight of his younger days makes Raku feel fuzzy in his heart. Touching the pots and pans, he feels so nostalgic of the cold steel and wooden spatulas.

" _Might as well…,"_ thinks Raku as he stops the actions of the men there and opens the large fridge. Inside, there are so many foodstuffs that could feed an entire island-sized country for a week.

Rummaging through the frozen meats and fresh vegetables, he takes some large pieces of beef and kilograms of veggies.

As Raku commands the men to wash dishes and set up some of the ingredients, he himself sets the stove-fire going and cuts portions of the vegetable and meat equivalently. Cooking for the group had been his habit since he was young. Especially after becoming the head, he had taken up special course classes in preparing and cooking meals. With that, his already existent skills as a 5-star chef had practically raised to a legendary level. Commanding and cooking in the morning for his men had made them loyal and happy.

As the saying goes, no army can fight on an empty stomach.

But it wasn't long before he was too busy to even eat meals with his men. Seeing his men suffer from stomaches due to his leave and the men's own poor cooking skills, Raku had hired the famous Gorden Ramshey to cook for the men. With the food problems solved by Gorden, he himself had also no place to show his own skills anymore.

However, when there was a chance, he always cooked for Shizuko when she came back from school.

As Raku thinks about his past, the _yakiniku_ _(1)_ meals are done absent-mindedly by him in under 15 minutes. Cooking fast and efficiently is one of the skills he needed to hone during the time he still cooked for the group.

With the men in kitchen mouth-agape in awe, Raku continues to prepare the _bentos_ with them until when the kitchen door suddenly opens.

"Bocchan! Let me hel…," Ryu shouts as he walks into the kitchen. He didn't have a chance to finish his words when he sees what is in front of him.

Rather than the usual dried horse mackerel, fried rice and miso soup, there are countless _yakiniku_ meal boxes stacked neatly on the table. Complemented with the minced green onion on top, leeks at the side and the fresh white fluffy rice right under, nothing could smell anymore heavenly.

"B-B-B-B- BOCCHAN! SO GOOD! EVEN THOUGH BOCCHAN'S ONLY 17, BOCCHAN CAN ALREADY COOK SUCH A MAGNIFICENT LOOKING MEAL! AS EXPECTED OF BOCCHAN!'

"Ha ha…it's nothing…," Raku chuckles half-heartedly. Although he was just praised, he is still dreaming or something…!?

" _Wait! 17?"_ Raku thinks alarmly. But he does realize that in this dream, he is back to 17 years ago. Even then, he turns towards the demon-samurai, asking, "Ryu….Did you just say…I am 17?"

As if startled by the question, Ryu turns towards Raku with a slight tilt of his head. "Huh...? Yeah...Isn't Bocchan 17?'" At the same time, Ryu starts to balance the boxes each on both of his arms and walks out of the kitchen.

"…17…," Raku, deep in thought, carries the meal boxes out of the kitchen with the other men from the kitchen.

The previous cargo brought in by Ryu to the men in the room had earned awe-looking eyes from the men. With the amount of a man's food intake and the nutritional balance all considered in the meal, Raku had made sure to also make the yakiniku tasty with suitable amounts of soy sauce and other spices, making anyone taking a bite of the chewy meat want to have another.

As he serves the men, Yui stares at the meal she had just received with a dreamy look.

"Yakiniku…," Yui mumbles as she picks up a piece of the red meat with her pair of chopsticks. Bringing the protein near to her nose, she sniffs it and, with gleaming eyes, takes a bite of the succulent meat.

The whole hall takes a breath in anticipation as the Don slowly chews with closed eyes. She then swallows with a gulp, which causes her to open her eyes.

"...Well then, everyone. Itadakimasu~," Yui says with a genuine smile as she digs into her meal more.

Without warning, she starts wolfing it down with the speed that could probably rival the speed of sound.

The men, seeing this, reply anticipatingly. "ITADAKIMASU!" They start wolfing their share down too.

"SO...SO DELICIOUS!" says one.

"SAVOURY YET SWEET...OH MY GOD~" exclaims another.

"THE LEEKS GIVE THE MEAT SUCH A REFRESHING CRISP TASTE...BUT IT DOESN'T OVERPOWER THE MEAT!" bellows one other who sits next to Yui.

"Raku-chan…did you make this?" Yui asks Raku as he sits down next to Yui on her left with his share of food in his hands.

"Umm...Yeah?" Raku mumbles awkwardly. Sitting next to Yui is the last thing he needs now. But with the seating rules in the hall based on the level of the status, he had to follow it.

"THIS IS THE BEST YAKINIKU I HAVE EVER HAD!" Yui exclaims in happiness as she hugs Raku's arm. Looking down, he sees that his step-sister's meal box is already empty.

Now that he thinks about it, Yui's favourite food seems to be the traditional Japanese Yakiniku meal.

"Umm...Thank you? But...would you mind...moving?" Raku says unfalteringly with a cold tone.

As if shocked by this reaction, Yui stands back immediately. However, the unease on her face disappears as fast as it appeared.

"Raku has already grown up...not even flinching from a girl's touch…," Yui mumbles touchingly with a proud tone.

"..." Raku only keeps quiet as he proceeds to eat his own food. After his marriage, he had already been numb to the opposite gender's contact.

With Chitoge harassing him sexually every night, who wouldn't?

Of course, he had been with other women after the divorce.

A sound emits from a door as it swings open. "Ooooh. Smells nice. What's for breakfast?" an old man's voice comes from the entrance.

Well, the toilet's entrance, that is.

For some reason, Raku's dad had installed a toilet in the dining hall when the HQ was being built.

Well, whatever.

"BOSS! GOOD MORNIN'!"

On cue, all of the men stand up and say this ritualistic line together.

"Sit down. Sit down. It's only morning. No need for such formality, eh?" laughs Raku's dad as he walks next to Raku and sits at the head of the long table.

It is the seat of the head. Currently, Masashi Ichijou, the fifth head of the Shuei Group, is sitting at this seating

"Yo, Raku! So early in the morning and already so close with your woman, eh?" Masashi teases his son with a grin on his face.

Frowning, Raku passes a boxed meal to his father and says, "Just eat, dad." Without saying anything else, he only gives a slight glance to his father.

As Raku's father digs into the _yakiniku_ , he notices one thing that piques his interest. "Umm...did you cook this?" Masashi exclaims in question.

Turning his head, Raku sees his dad with a complicated look on his face. He holds a half bitten piece of meat with his pair of chopsticks in front of his mouth.

"...Yeah," Raku half-heartedly replies. He had looked at the clock earlier and noticed the time. If in this dream he is 17, then he should still be studying in Bonyari high. If he didn't remember wrong, school starts at 8:30 a.m. If this is even still a dream.

It is already going to be 8.

Raku notices now that Yui is resting her head on his lap, possibly sleeping from being so satisfied by the meal. But he cannot allow her to sleep anymore.

Sighing, Raku takes a piece of meat out from his meal

" _May God forgive my sins,"_ Raku thinks for a moment.

Bringing the piece of meat in front of Yui's nose, she starts mumbling something like "Ya..niku...Yaki...ku," moving aroundin her peaceful rest _._

Stretching out her head to reel her nose closer to the piece of meat, Yui moves around a little more before waking up.

"Huh?'" the confused girl says as she sits up. Noticing the time, she quickly stands up and runs towards her room.

Sighing in fatigue, Raku stands up and takes his meal box with him. All these weird happening has taken away his appetite.

"Well then, I'm going to school, Dad. Bye," Raku mentions as he stands up with his half-finished meal box in hand.

Ichijou Masashi just sits there quietly as he watches his son walk slowly to the kitchen and then his own bedroom. Masashi's half-eaten piece of meat still hangs in between the tip of his chopsticks.

Slowly, he brings the protein into his mouth. As he slowly indulges in the succulent beef, he can only think of one thing.

" _Shizuko…,"_ Masashi thinks to himself as he silently and savourly chews the meat.

" _How did he...make it taste so much like yours?_ " the head of the Shuei smiles bitterly. _"Well...he's our son...your son...after all…,_ " Masashi sighs in sadness as he swallows with little difficulty.

Raku sighs as he wears his nostalgic gakuran. He hadn't noticed earlier, but the school uniform was hanging from the wall at the corner of his room.

After he finishes changing, he comes out of his room and walks towards his home's entrance hall. As Raku exits the front door, Raku sees Ryu swinging his razor-sharp katana up and down in the garden. Ryu has always trained himself like this, whether it was rain or shine.

"Oh, Bocchan? Are you going to school? Be careful and be safe!" the demon-samurai greets Raku while waving his hand.

"Well…bye," Raku mumbles as he goes past Ryu. He pushes the wooden front gates open and walks out into the bright world outside.

The same world he was part of 17 years ago.

Raku has already stopped believing that he is living a dream. The memories of the mountain, the girl in the white dress and the grassfield filled with weird creatures still appear vividly in his mind.

" _Is this...what the girl meant? A...chance...to start again? By going back into the past?"_ Raku thinks as he slowly walks along the quiet road.

" _If this is truly what she meant...Then I will grab this chance to start over!"_ As Raku's grip on his schoolbag tightens, he stares into the windy sky with a face of determination.

"Hmm? Morning, Darling. You seem to be later than usual today," a familiar voice is heard in front of Raku.

Snapping back to reality, Raku comes to a standstill.

Just a few meters in front of him stands Chitoge Kirisaki.

His ex-wife...well, in his past life, that is. Or maybe ex-wife to be?

Raku can only stand where he is with a blank expression, not moving a single muscle. Stunned, he can only stop himself from letting the tears in his eyes flow freely.

"Hey, let's go! We're gonna be late if….What? Are you tearing up? What happened?" The girl who stands beside him now asks with a face of concern.

Sure enough, with that flustered and worried face, Raku could only confirm that this face belongs to Chitoge Kirisaki.

Although 99 percent of the time, she still had her tsundere mode on even after their marriage.

"Uh..umm...Nothing. I...only yawned," Raku replies while giving a small grin while staring into Chitoge's eyes.

Immediately embarrassed, Chitoge turns around and runs away while shouting "WH-WHATEVER! I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! STUPID BEANSPROUT!"

Chuckling, he drowns himself in the nostalgic feeling of his nickname given by her. It's been ages since anyone has called him that.

As he walks on, he reaches a T-junction in the road.

Although he still isn't really sure what is happening to him, Raku is sure once again that he isn't dreaming

Everything feels too real to be one.

Sighing, he turns left and sees Chitoge again. Leaning against the wall, she appears to be waiting for him.

"Hm-Hmph! You're going to be late for class if you walk at that pace...beansprout…," She merely pouts and trots off on her own to the direction of the school.

Ichijou Raku just continues on without caring. Deep in thought, his legs are on autopilot as he

thinks of what is really happening.

He had discarded the probability of these happenings being a dream.

Memories of his past have been reappearing in his mind, as if it just happened yesterday.

These, however, reminded him of something.

Ahh… an anime he had watched when he was still in highschool.

Something about a girl that keeps going back in time to fix her mistakes and actions.

If he believes the term for that is right, it should be "time-looping".

If he really is in a time-loop, then…is he in his past?

That little girl did say something about changing his past of something…

But how do you explain Ryu and Masashi being alive and well?

Hmm, Raku MUST be in the past.

Then, with Chitoge alive too, is...Kosaki alive too?

Raku can only hope.

But...if this is really a dream...is he supposed to do something?

He continues walking with his eyes closed while thinking about it.

"Ah. Morning,Ichijou-kun. Did you oversleep too?" a kind and soothing voice comes from his far right.

Opening his eyes in alarm, he turns his head and immediately pales.

There is a startled girl with short hair standing before him. Having a somehow weird but cute long locket of hair hanging down the right side of her head, she has a beautiful and heartwarming face that would make any human with a bad mood feel good immediately.

Standing in front of him, is the love of his life, clad in her school uniform.

Onodera Kosaki.

 **A/N: Hey guys. Finally finished this after so many days. This MAY be put on hiatus and I am terribly sorry for that. I too, wanna see what happens after this. But real life sucks and you know it. Not planning for any release of TKTMH any sooner. Kinda feel it dropping it and focusing on this, but I dunno lol.**

 **For those who don't know, Yakiniku is fresh roasted beef on a metal grate, mixed with a special sauce. It suites well with rice, but also can be eaten on its own.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yahallo guys! Sorry for the mega long delay! Hardly could find time to sit down and write this! Not sure about future chapters,but I will do my best! Goddamnit my ship sunk!RIP #TEAM YUI AND #TEAM MARIKA! Oh and to that guy who said he wanted a harem end with this, I still don't know how to end this. Just making it up on the way. :3 (RIP MARIKA FRIENDZONED AND YUI SISTERZONED)**

Disclaimer: I do not own Nisekoi or any part of it (kinda feel this part is an extra now…)

"I-Ichijou-kun?!"

The girl with the locket of hair is startled by the crumpling figure in front of her. Immediately rushing over to Raku, she tries to help him up.

"Are you okay?!" she asks in a flustered manner.

Panting and wheezing, Raku takes a seat on the floor while tearing up, staring at the girl with his bloodshot eyes.

"O...nodera…," Raku murmurs in a breathless tone.

Ichijou Raku, soon-to-be head of the Shuei yakuza group, stares at the flustered and worried face of the girl he loved, and possibly still loves, during his youth. Raku can only falter in her presence.

"Ca-can you stand up? Should I call the ambulance? What should I do? Umm...Err…," the timid girl stands in a state of panic.

Raku shifts his sitting position to a more comfortable manner, silently laughing to himself. "Ha ha ha…An airhead as usual…"

After a little more grumbling, he stands up and dusts off his pants.

"I'm alright now, Onodera-chan. I was just in the trance of a dizzy spell," he tells the girl in front of him.

"...Ono...Onodera-chan…?" the girl, Onodera Kosaki, stands in uncertainty, blushing redder than a tomato.

"...Crap! I just said that out without thinking! And what's with calling her with a '-chan'!? Why the hell did I say that?!" Raku blushes while his internal thoughts swim around in his brain like fish. "And stop looking at me with that cute face of yours! I'm gonna fall in love with you all over again!"

As the two of them stand with the awkward atmosphere around them, a voice can be heard from behind Raku, belonging to a sick and frail girl people wouldn't expect to hear such a powerful voice from.

"Ra~ku~sa~ma~!" the owner of that voice comes running, proceeding to charge into Raku's back.

Although startled, he turns around in time to catch the girl in his arms to prevent her from embracing him any further.

Living as the head of the yakuza group, quickly reacting to sudden situations was one trait he had obtained to ensure his own safety.

"Ma-...Tachibana?" "Tachibana-san?" Raku and Onodera both say in question at the same time.

Raku stares at the orange-haired girl who snuggles in his chest cheerfully.

Tachibana Marika.

A girl from his youth that proclaimed her love for him openly and daringly.

Too openly and daringly, that is.

Raku had felt troubled by her and didn't respond to her feelings.

However, about a year later, after revealing that she had known about his "fake" relationship with Chitoge, she had collapsed and was brought back to her home by Honda, her guardian and her overseer.

What he had not known was that when had collapsed was the exact last moment he would see her acting on her own free will.

After going back to her home, Marika's childhood friend, Mikage, had informed him of Marika's impending arranged marriage. It was also at that time that Raku and his friends found out that Marika had come from a super prestigious family.

In an attempt to save her, Raku and his friends tried to negotiate with Marika's mom, Tachibana Chika, who was the mastermind behind restricting Marika's future.

Turned out at the door, Raku, Chitoge and Tsugumi sneaked into the household through the secret tunnel Mikage had told them about.

However, they faced an obstacle on the way.

Marika's supposed ally, Honda, turned out to be a ninja of the Tachibana home and was ordered by Tachibana Chika, the current head of the home, to stop them.

With Tsugumi holding Honda off, Raku and Chitoge proceeded deeper into the Tachibana household but ended up being chased by the men inside.

With Chitoge acting as a lure, they split up with Chitoge entrusting their mission to Raku.

Venturing deeper, he finally found the head of the household and pleaded for Marika's freedom.

In the end, all his efforts proved useless as his requests were harshly turned down and was asked to leave.

As he struggled to find another way to convince her, the door opened with men entering the room. In their grasps were Chitoge and Tsugumi bounded by ropes, wounded and unconscious.

Left with no other choice, he prioritised the safety of his two friends and left the place with both unconscious in his arms.

When they regained conscious, Chitoge scolded Raku for giving up their mission to the point of beating him up. He accepted this as his punishment, as he somewhat knew inside that he was being a coward, wasting the effort they had gone through.

This had caused the tension between Raku and some of his close friends to become unbearable.

A month later, they received a wedding invitation.

It was an invitation to Marika's marriage with the CEO of the renowned 2MDB company, someone who was already in his 40s and obviously more than two times Marika's age.

To everyone who had tried to save Marika, especially Raku, it was like Chika was ridiculing their wasted efforts.

Gritting their teeth, Raku and his friends resorted to crashing the wedding to save Marika from her unwanted marriage.

However, what they did not expect was what Chika had been prepared beforehand.

When they arrived at the wedding hall on the fateful day, all they saw was an old janitor sweeping the floor.

Confused, Raku contacted the sentry he posted in the jungle opposite of Marika's home to watch over any suspicious actions and contact them.

Receiving no reply, Raku and the others rushed over to the site, only to find a wedding ceremony reaching its end.

Realising they had been tricked, Raku tried to intervene the group leaving the place.

However, he was held at gunpoint by a man in green holding a rifle.

" _Why the hell are the JSDF here?"_ Raku thought as he tried to explain.

"Umm, there's a friend of mine I need to see inside the group. Can you let me pass, please?"

"Hmm, kid. It's not something I can decide on my own…," the man in green scratched his chin with a troubled look on his face.

"Sergeant Itami! Don't slack off!" a brunette in green approached them, lightly punching the chest of the man named Itami.

Well, it seemed to be a light punch, but Itami collapsed to the floor, groaning. 'Kuri...baya...shi...'

Ignoring him, the brunette turned and faced Raku.

"So whaddaya want kid? This place is off limits to civilians, so scram," the girl named Kuribayashi commanded them while looking at Itami crumpling on the floor with a pair of irritated eyes and mumbled. "...How the hell is he a ranger..."

"Umm...I have a friend in that group…," Raku reported again as he glanced worriedly at the leaving group.

Spotting Marika among them, he immediately rushed past the girl and ran towards Marika who started entering a car with an obese middle-aged man.

"Wha?! Wait kid! Come back here!" Kuribayashi screamed and chased after him.

"MARIKAAAAA!" Raku screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran after the leaving car.

As if responding to Raku's voice, the car stopped abruptly.

Under the suspicious gazes of the crowd sending the car off, he ran towards the passenger seat and knocked on the tinted window.

As the window slowly wound down, Raku gasped in surprise. For in front of him was a girl he never knew would look this beautiful.

Wearing a pink kimono decorated with flowers, Tachibana Marika was sitting in the car with her eyes closed while facing the front. Her face was pale white from the make-up, giving a pure ambience to her demeanor. Her look was so beautiful and fragile that he was afraid to open his mouth in fear of breaking her. However, his objective surfaced in his mind and he steeled himself to break the fragile atmosphere.

"Ma...Marika! You didn't want this marriage right?! Come out of the car! We have come to save youaghghhh!" Raku shouted as he was tackled onto the ground.

"I said stop you idiot! Ahh, why are kids nowadays so rebellious?" Said Kuribayashi as she sat on Raku's back, twisting his arm. Raku could only scream in pain as he struggled to get free.

"Enough. Let him go," a hurt voice sounded out from within the car.

"...If you say so…," Kuribayashi shrugged and stood up. Sensing he was free, Raku stood up quickly and faced Marika.

"...Tachiba…" Before he could utter her name, Raku's lips were shushed by the fingers of his somewhat stalker.

"It's ok now, Raku-sama. I have accepted my fate," said Marika with a calm face, her usual vigor all gone.

"...No! This isn't what you want! There has to be a way to solve this!" Responded Raku angrily.

"Whaddaya want kid? Fuck off!" a deep annoyed voice came from within the car. Peering in, Raku saw a fat, balding, middle-aged man glaring at him.

"It's okay. He's just a friend," said Marika to the man as she looked at him with cold eyes.

"...Okay then. If you say," the man mumbled meekly and sat back quietly.

Facing back to the quiet face of Raku, Marika hesitated for a second and said with a steeled voice: "Raku-sama. Thank you for the love and kindness all of you have shown me during my time in Bonyari."

Marika stopped and gasped for air painfully before continuing. "Although it's only been a short while, this year and a half time that I spent in Bonyari High had been a fun and amazing time."

When Raku looked at her again, he saw that tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Especially you...Raku-sama... Even though you didn't...didn't have feelings for me...you still cried for me...laughed for me...supported me… and most of all, been there for me…" Tears had begun to roll down her cheeks, so much that the tears fell so much onto her beautiful kimono, staining it into murkiness.

"So, Raku-sama." Her sniffing stopped and she sat up straight.

"If...if there is such a thing as reincarnation...I could only hope that...I could undergo this ceremony again...with you instead."

"So allow me to call you one last time," said Marika with smile. "Raku…-sama."

"Hey kid. Time to leave," the brunette in green put her hand on Raku's back and pulled him away from the car that started moving again.

As he watched the car leave while being forcefully led away, tears rolled down his face.

After going back to his own town, news spread that the CEO of the 2MDB company was caught red-handed with corruption of over 2.6 billion dollars and is on the run with his family.

Using all ways available to track down Marika, Raku searched for Marika. But all of his efforts proved fruitless as time went by with no trace of them.

Snapping back to reality from his memory, Raku looks down in his chest at the girl that is currently rubbing her face into his chest with the happiest expression anyone could make.

Sighing, he looks around and sees Kosaki's face which is redder than an apple.

Realising that his current situation must be awkward to Kosaki, Raku tries to convince Marika to let him go.

"Mari-, I mean, Tachibana? Would you mind letting me go? It is kind of warm today," Raku claims as he tries to shrug her off.

"Ah! You were about to call me by my first name, right?! Do it! Do it!" Marika shivers in excitement as she ignores his request.

Sighing, Raku princess-carries Marika and walks on under the embarrassed gaze of Kosaki.

Looking back to Kosaki, he says calmly, "Come on, Onodera. We're going to be late."

"Uh, uuh...O-Ok!" she stutters embarrassedly, following in Raku's footsteps.

Marika had become silent as she is being carried by Raku. With a hot blush across her face, she looks downwards without uttering a sound.

"Darrrrlingggg! Why are you so slow?!" a loud voice booms from up ahead.

Looking ahead, Raku sees golden-haired beauty that is running towards him. However, she stops for a moment upon seeing what Raku is doing before speeding up faster than a race car.

Jumping at a height that seems impossible for a normal high school girl, she turns midair to position her body for a flying kick aimed at Raku.

" _Where have I seen this scene before?"_ Raku thinks to himself. The speed. The graceful posture. The power behind the kick that is on its way to kill its receiver.

With that golden hair and cold eyes, this scene somehow reminds him of a certain black-dressed galaxy assassin.

"Uooooo!" shouts Raku as he places Marika aside while trying to dodge the incoming kick. Swerving to the right, he falls off balance onto the ground. Closing his eyes, he braces himself for the impact.

"Ughh…," Raku moans as he waits for the pain to come. Strangely, he suddenly feels something soft and squishy on his face.

" _Huh? What's this? W_ _hat's this_ _...pillow?"_ Raku asks himself in confusion as he grabs the "pillow", squeezing it.

" _Hmm? This roundness and firmness…,"_ Raku thinks as he racks his brains to this familiar sensation.

Opening his eyes, the first thing he sees is his hands grabbing on a pair of breasts.

Chitoge's breasts, to be exact.

" _Ahh, so that's what it is…"_ Raku sighs in relief, finally able to know what he was holding onto.

" _Wait… Chitoge's boobs?!"_ Sitting up in surprise, he realises now what he was doing and immediately lets go.

He had been squeezing the boobs of no other person than his ex-wife.

" _No wonder it felt so familiar…"_

Noticing that he was doing this in a public place, he understands that his actions must have been perverted like a certain orange-spiked haired boy.

Looking at his surroundings, he is once again confused by what he sees.

Onodera Kosaki, looking at him with a blank pair of eyes.

" _Onodera...isn't she dead…?_ "

Looking around again, he sees Tachibana Marika staring into the sky with a dazed look while mumbling, "Raku-sama...hugged me...Raku-sama...hugged...me…"

" _Wasn't Marika_ _...already gone?"_

And in front of him…well, more of on top of him, is Chitoge staring dumbfoundedly at him with a face so red that even the colour red would bow in shame.

" _And Chitoge..._ _Wait_ _..._ _a minute…"_

The memories of Chitoge feel muddled, but he recollects something.

" _Didn't Chitoge_ _..._ _and Shizuko die in the earthquake?...Earthquake..._ _what's happening?"_

Finally piecing things together once again, he looks around, confirming once more that he is in the past.

"You...you…," Chitoge trembles with rage as she begins to raise a fist in front of Raku's face.

"Err…uuh...you..." Not knowing what to really say in this situation, he shrugs.

And instantly he finds himself in the sky with a bloody nose.

"You...you bastard!" Chitoge screams at him while waving her fists.

"Ahhhhhhhh...ah!? Get out of the way!" Although screaming for his life before, Raku notices something else as he ignores her claim.

"Huh? Wha…," Chitoge mumbles, only noticing now that Raku is about to land on her.

"Ugh!" Raku grunts as he closes his eyes again to brace for impact.

"Kyah!?" Chitoge cries as Raku lands on top of her, bringing her to the ground.

Raku opens his eyes moments later, wondering what had happened as a result of his fall onto Chitoge.

As he sits up, he immediately realises what he is doing.

He can see that he is on top of Chitoge. She must have become the cushion to his fall.

Looking into her eyes that spins like a whirlpool, he can also tell that she is out cold, possibly from the impact. Her body sprawls on the ground like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

So even gorillas are vulnerable to being knocked unconscious.

In comparison, Raku had faced this kind of damage so many times that he was resilient to being knocked out by such a simple collision.

"Ahhhh…," Raku sighs as he scratches his head. "This is going to be a pain to take care of."

As Raku wonders what to do next, a monotonous voice sounds from behind him.

"Huhuhu. Already having a rough start today, aren't you, Ichijou-kun?"

Turning his head around in surprise, he sees a girl that he had almost forgotten he was acquainted with.

Miyamoto Ruri.

The smart, quick-witted and bespectacled girl is an indisposable piece of his irregular bunch of friends.

Having been offered entrance into a high-ranked and famous university in the United States, she had left Japan a few days after graduation.

Although the group of friends had agreed to keep in contact, especially Kosaki who was crying at her departure, the long distance between Ruri and the group had caused their relationship to slowly grow stale.

In the end, the relationship ended altogether when contacting each other became bothersome.

A common phenomenon among friends that depart ways to places far apart.

No one wants such a sad event to happen.

" _Not that I was any different…,"_ Raku thinks with a sigh. Remembering his period of isolation during his university days, he can only laugh bitterly at himself.

"Quite in a pickle, aren't you?" Ruri says as she approaches Raku.

"Haaa...so it seems…," he sighs again as he tries to shake Chitoge up to no success.

Staring at him in surprise, she looks at him weirdly as if she has noticed something amiss.

Shrugging uncomfortably under her gaze, he tries to escape her suspicious stare.

"Uhh...it's, uuh...really late now…" Raku attempts to change the subject as he hurriedly piggy-backs Chitoge.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Ruri reverts to her usual uninterested expression.

"I very much agree. The time tells, so we best be on our way," Ruri replies as she leads the blank-faced Kosaki and Marika towards the direction of school by pulling their hands.

"Whew…," Raku exhales in relief. He hates situations where people suspects him with a suspicious gaze.

For some reason, Ruri looked at him as if she knew that he is hiding a secret.

" _Ahh...impossible."_

No one for sure could ever guess or know that he came from the future. Even he himself couldn't bring himself to believe it.

Thus, while carrying the unconscious Chitoge on his back, he walks with a brisk pace behind Ruri towards a place where he had created most of his better memories of his youth.

Turning at the corner, he is at the familiar entrance to a school.

His alma-mater.

Bonyari High.

 **A/N: Chapter took me months. Damn. Less than 3.5k words(argh), but will probably speed up after my finals, around early December. Ecchi in this chapter, cuz i can.**

 **P.S: Thanks to GreenMoriyama for editing! Go check him out!**

 **P.S.S. I literally flipped the table when he said that sentence to Marika in Chapter 190.**

 **P.S.S.S: Screw Y*nPress for licensing Overlord.**

 **P.S.S.S.S: Self-advertisement time! Check out the translation of Gate Thus the JSDF Fought there in skythewood's blog! I helped xp**


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